Passwords are used to gain access to computers, computer systems, computer networks, web sites, web applications, and the like. By using passwords, only authorized users are able to log on and access the requisite computer, computer system, computer network, etc., while unauthorized users, such as hackers and imposters, are prevented from obtaining access.
Passwords are typically an assigned or user selected series of characters. Characters commonly include letters, in upper and lower case, numbers, and symbols. For description purposes here, characters are letters, in upper and lower case, and numbers. Passwords are formed from sequences of characters, typically unspaced, that are unique for each user.
When an individual user seeks access to their computer, computer system, computer network, web site, web application, etc., they typically log in by entering their password. If the password exactly matches a correspondingly stored password in the system, the user is granted access to the requisite computer, computer system, computer network, web site, web application, etc. Otherwise, the user is denied access. Additionally, typically after about three failed attempts to enter the proper password, the requisite computer, system or network, denies access to the account, for which the entry has failed, by locking that account, with unlocking occurring after a preset time period, and normally, by a system administrator.
As enterprises seek to increase security for their web sites, computers, computer systems, and networks, their systems are programmed to recognize passwords that are case sensitive. By imposing case sensitivity, passwords are more powerful, as password matches must be precise. As a result, the password fRed257 is not the same as fred257 or FRED257. By mixing case, it is harder for imposters and other unauthorized users to guess passwords.
However, authorized users sometimes enter their passwords incorrectly, because they have accidentally actuated the “Caps Lock” key on their keyboard or other entry panel, at some point before or during the entry of the password characters. This actuated “Caps Lock” key results in the password being rejected. With the password rejected, the user is denied access to the system.
Similarly, if a user enters their password by pressing the correct keys, but not knowing that the “Caps Lock” key is active or “in”, the resultant and actually entered password has letter characters opposite in case to the letter characters typed, as the intended password. The entered password is refused, and access to the system is denied.
In both situations, most users do not recognize the problem immediately or easily, since they have pressed the correct key sequence. As a result, these users become frustrated and call their technical support personnel for assistance. The costs for handling these support calls is significant, as manpower is diverted to attend to these support calls, taking personnel away from the more important tasks of running the day to day operations of maintaining the network.
Additionally, this refusal of the user's password, from either of the two situations above, is often compounded by the obscuration of password characters. This is because the user can not tell from looking at the password field that the problem occurred as a result of the “Caps Lock” key being active or “in” when the password was entered. This is normally because the actual characters that form the password are indicated on-screen by asterisks (*) or the like, whereby the user can not see the characters that will be sent and used as the entered password.